Museum service faces challenges

Shropshire’s museum service will face challenges, a senior councillor has warned.

Councillor Lezley Picton, portfolio holder for culture and leisure, said the industry would need to be “resilient, tenacious and clever” as it felt Government cutbacks.

But she also gave high praise for the work of Shropshire Council teams in creating a five-year strategy.

It was funded by the Arts Council England through a £73,000 grant which also funded outreach projects.

Cllr Picton said: “We know there isn’t a lot of money for culture and we have to be absolutely resolute in what we are going to do.

“When I ask my cabinet colleagues to give me £2 million for my budget, I know that is not going to happen – so we have to be resilient, tenacious and clever in the ways we do this.”

The strategy notes a mission to ensure an “enjoyable experience” for visitors with a focus on attracting families and boosting communities.

But it came in for criticism from Labour group leader Councillor Alan Mosley, who said he was “disappointed” it aimed only to maintain the number of visitors.

He said: “I would like to see more aspirations and rather than maintain would hope to see substantial increase as a consequence of this strategy.”

Cllr Picton responded: “This programme is quite ambitious in maintaining visitor numbers but it is not just talking about the Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, but all facilities.

“Some of those facilities will require major investment to continue to raise visitor numbers.”

The Shropshire Museum Service runs Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, Shrewsbury Castle, Coleham Pumping Station, Acton Scott Historic Working Farm, Much Wenlock Museum and Ludlow Museum Resource Centre.

The strategy runs to 2023.